


Black Rose

by Cowboy_Sneep_Dip



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Experiments in writing style, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mental Health Issues, Non-Linear Narrative, Physical Abuse, Torture, Tragedy, Violence, lots and lots of angst, minor Revelation spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:53:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 19,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cowboy_Sneep_Dip/pseuds/Cowboy_Sneep_Dip
Summary: Following the confrontation on the plains of Hoshido, Corrin vanishes, taking with her only Azura and Felicia. In her absence, the war grows desperate, as each side's leaders struggle to cope with her disappearance. In this milieu, Hinoka leads her forces into battle against a frightening and enigmatic foe and finds herself at the mercy of the enemy princess.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for clicking on this. I'm going to add some notes here on top of the archive warnings and tags that there's a lot of...not great stuff going on here. I set out to write a piece exploring some of the darker elements of Camilla's character as well as some elements of Hinoka's character that are referenced but never really fleshed out. Needless to say, Camilla is a wholly terrifying person - a force of nature on the battlefield and ranging from merciless to obsessive off it.  
> I also wanted to experiment with nonlinear storytelling and varying chapter length, so this may or may not actually make sense! I guess we'll see.

 

Hinoka stared out into the woods, the dull grey half-light of the evening coating the land in a dreary blanket. The sky was darkening and the first drops of rain began to fall, pooling around her feet. She listened to the distant sounds of battle – the clash of steel on steel, the whinny of horses, the cries of dying men. As she listened, she heard the sounds of the battle intensifying, shouts and screams echoing through the silence of the valley.

She tightened her grip on her naginata. She had orders to command, not to fight, but to be so close and unable to assist…

A man approached her, dropping to one knee and bowing in deference. Hinoka saw his pant legs were stained with blood, though she couldn’t tell if it was his or someone else’s.

“Kurou!” she shouted at him. “What’s happening out there?”

“Milady!” he said, formal but with an edge of panic in his voice. “They’ve sent for reinforcements! We need to retreat!”

“Reinforcements? What kind of reinforcements?”

The man looked up from his kneeling position. “Just one soldier, ma’am. But we can’t fight back.”

“One soldier?!” Hinoka scoffed in disbelief.

“What are your orders, ma’am?”

Hinoka growled and turned, climbing on the back of her borrowed pegasus. “Have the men regroup at the treeline. I’m going to see what’s happening for myself.”

She took off down the hill towards the woods, keeping the pegasus at a gallop and not flying. Best to keep a low profile while scouting. As she approached the battle, she could smell the stench of blood and fire. She pulled the reins and the pegasus skidded to a halt in the soft soil.

A scene of utter carnage unfolded before her.

The Hoshidan forces were broken and scattered, soldiers desperately fleeing and trying to drag their wounded companions away from the fight. A wounded man rushed past her, giving her a brief apologetic look before fleeing. She stared around the battlefield trying to take stock of the situation.

 _One_ soldier? What could possibly be making Hoshidan soldiers so terrified?

Again the sound of clashing metal and screams pierced through the forest. Suddenly she spied the source of the sound.

A black knight astride a massive winged wyvern cut a swath through the forest, swinging a war axe hither and yon. Hinoka stared in horror as the knight swung its axe down, cleaving through a Hoshidan soldier’s armor as if it were paper, slicing through the man in a spray of crimson blood.

The wyvern lunged through the woods, ripping with sharp claws at the fleeing men. It snatched the back legs of a horse with rider in tow, dragging it back with a squeal. The wyvern’s claws ripped into the horse and it bit into it, it’s toothy maw devouring horse and man with a grisly crunch. The man’s screams were silenced as the wyvern discarded the scraps.

The knight, dressed head to toe in thick black armor, its face obscured by a plain black helmet, continued rampaging. Sprays of blood cascaded over mount and rider as they hunted down the fleeing Hoshidan forces.

 _What in gods’ names…_ Hinoka stared, frozen in fear.

She watched as a wounded man desperately tried to crawl away through the mud, a trail of blood behind him. The wyvern approached him, it’s sharp claws pinning him to the ground. He cried and begged for mercy. Seconds before the wyvern snapped its jaws around him, an archer loosed an arrow from behind a cluster of trees. The arrow embedded itself in the wyvern’s leg, resulting in an ear-splitting shriek. The beast reared up, and in the split second, the pinned man managed to slip from its grasp.

The black knight lifted another axe into the air, a thin and elegant-looking weapon. A bold of lightning flashed forward, splitting through the trees and hitting the archer with a sizzle and a crackle. The knight followed up by bringing the axe down on the wounded man before he could flee any further. The knight’s axe buried itself deep enough in the man’s back that pulling it out was a struggle, and in a moment of spite the knight swung the axe a second time, lopping off the dead man’s head.

Hinoka clenched her teeth. She cried out to the remaining men. “Everyone pull out! I’ll cover your retreat!”

She kicked the sides of her pegasus, which leapt into the air and took off towards the butchery. Taking advantage of the lightness and swiftness of the pegasus, Hinoka dived and swerved through the trees, trying to get as close as possible to the black knight before she was noticed.

The knight turned towards her, the black helmet pointing towards her in a steady gaze.

“Hiya!” Hinoka kicked her pegasus again and the beast dove towards the black knight. Hinoka veered next to the wyvern and slashed with her naginata at the knight’s abdomen.

Her blade collided with the black armor and bounced off with an unpleasant scraping sound. It took all her strength to just hold on to the naginata against the force of the bounce. Her pegasus took off again into the sky, circling back around for another attack.

The rain worsened, great big droplets of water splattering on her and dampening her clothes.

Hinoka gripped the reins tightly and leaned in, staring at the knight. Her eyes widened as the knight lifted the bolt axe again, ready to send a blast of magic her way. She dove towards the ground, a split second too late. A flash of light rippled through the rain and collided with her pegasus. She heard a cry of pain and smelled the reek of burning flesh. Her pegasus was alive but wounded, diving towards the ground wildly, weak wing flaps not enough to steady the descent.

As the horse and rider collided with the ground, Hinoka was thrown from her saddle. She skidded to a halt in the mud, her white clothes splattered brown and red. She watched in horror as her wounded pegasus tried to struggle to its feet. Too late.

The wyvern pounced, its claws descending like a guillotine on the wounded animal. Hinoka scrabbled in the dirt for her naginata, trying to ignore the sounds echoing through the woods. The cries of pain, the pitiful whinnies, and the crunch of bone and flesh.

Naginata in hand, she looked up in time to see the wyvern rip the pegasus apart, its teeth plunging into the vortex of blood and meat and sinew. Hinoka breathed a silent prayer of thanks that it was a borrowed pegasus, as hers was recovering from wounds from the last battle.

The black knight tugged the wyvern’s reins and the beast ceased its feast, turning its bloody maw in Hinoka’s direction.

_Oh, shit._

Hinoka clambered to her feet and looked around, desperately looking for cover. She dashed towards a sloping rock face, hoping the high ground would give her some advantage. For a split second, a thought flashed into her mind.

 _You’re going to die here_.

She shook her head, rain-soaked bangs dripping into her eyes. Don’t think those things.

_You have no mount. You can’t even pierce his armor._

She forced the panic back down her throat and began to climb the slop, her boots slipping on the damp and crumbling rock. Just get away. Don’t try and fight.

_He has a flying monster. You’re on foot._

She grasped a protruding root and pulled herself higher. Thoughts of her family flashed in her mind. She shook her head. _I need to stop thinking –_ a roar interrupted her thoughts and she looked down. Mere inches below her feet snapped the jaws of the wyvern. She stared into the monster’s rows of razor-sharp teeth.

She cried out in anger and kicked down, her boots knocking back the monster’s mouth. It shook its head and roared at her again. She took the moment of hesitation to steady herself on the rock and she flipped her naginata down, using the blunt end to beat back the wyvern again. It snapped at her again, getting a mouthful of naginata as she jammed her weapon into its mouth. It clenched its jaw down and ripped the naginata from her hand, crunching it into two halves that dropped to its side.

It reached up again, its teeth snapping into Hinoka’s shin. With a violent thrash, it ripped her from her place on the slope and slammed her back down into the ground with a sickening thud.

She felt an explosion of pain in her head as she collided with the forest floor. Sparks danced across her vision and she felt like she was going to throw up. She weakly crawled along the ground, desperately trying to get away. The wyvern snatched her legs up again, whipping her through the air and bringing her down against the ground again.

She coughed and spit blood, her vision fading in and out.

“P-please,” she begged weakly, her head spinning. The desire to throw up came again and she clutched her stomach, coughing up blood into the mud. “P-p-p…” she couldn’t even get the second appeal out before the wyvern bit into her a third time, it’s teeth sinking into the flesh of her leg above her boot. It dragged her back along the ground, scraping her across roots, rocks, and branches. With a weak toss, the wyvern sent her sprawling across the forest floor. She came to a stop at the foot of the slope again. Her head spun.

The wyvern stopped. Hinoka looked up and saw the black knight climb down from its mount, heavy black boots splashing in the mud. The knight took its time, adjusting the harness and tidily arranging the reins for easy remounting. From here, Hinoka could see that the back of the saddle was laden with axes. The knight selected one, clearly weighing it and putting thought into the selection. Hinoka’s head lolled. She stared at something on the ground behind her.

“W-who…”

The knight turned, axe in hand, and slowly walked towards her.

“Who are you!?” Hinoka cried out, blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

The knight paused in front of her.

“P-please…just…let me see your face…” Hinoka gasped. Rainwater trickled down her cheeks and into her mouth. It tasted bitter.

The knight swung the axe down heavily. Hinoka reached back and grabbed a half of her shattered naginata. She held it up as she rolled, deflecting the axe blow into the dirt next to her. Even so, the force of the blow splintered the naginata further and she cried out as pain ripped through her arm.

Angrily, the knight lashed out, kicking her across the face with a heavy boot. The knight lifted the axe again.

Hinoka stared at the figure. The knight hesitated for a second before bringing the axe down. Hinoka took advantage and kicked out, trying to knock the knight’s feet out from under them. Her feet collided with the heavy black leg armor to no avail. The knight laughed, a low, hollow sound.

“My dear, can you really not tell?”

Hinoka stared up as the knight reached up, pulling off the black helmet. Tresses of lavender hair cascaded out of the helmet, splaying across the figure’s armor.

“L-Lady Camilla,” Hinoka gasped for breath.

Camilla sneered down at her. With a mighty swing, she brought down the handle of her axe on Hinoka’s head.

The last thing Hinoka felt was a final blast of pain. Then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Hinoka gasped, jolting from sleep suddenly. Her shock all the more intensified as she tried to move before realizing she couldn’t. She tried to take stock of the situation.

She was in a kneeling position. She could tell from the pain shooting through her legs, a dull aching. She felt a cold grip on her neck, but couldn’t tell any more than that. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she got a better look at her surroundings. She was in a cell, that much she could tell. Or, rather, some sort of stone chamber. There was no barred door, just a heavy wooden one across from her. She tried cracking her neck and realized what was happening. A heavy iron collar was locked around her, a chain affixing her to the wall behind her. Her hands, too, were cuffed in iron, chains extending out to the walls on either side. She was kneeling in the center of the room. In one corner was a simple wooden table.

She tugged one of the chains with her arm. As expected, it rattled against the wall but didn’t come free.

She groaned. It was just the right position where she was unable to move – unable to stand, unable to lean one way or another because of the chains. She was unsure if the aching pain was from the uncomfortable position or reminders of old wounds, but…

Suddenly, her memory came roaring back. The battle. The fight with the black knight. The reveal that it was –

The heavy wooden door swung open, clattering against the wall. Camilla strode in, decked out in her standard elegant gold-trimmed armor. Evidently, she had armor for battle and armor for show, Hinoka reflected bitterly. Thin armor like that, exposed chest, exposed thighs…it would be a piece of cake to cut her down like that.

Camilla knelt in front of her and grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks.

“You bitch,” she said cheerfully. “You really thought you would beat me?” She released Hinoka’s face and Hinoka’s head drooped slightly, her red bangs dropping in front of her eyes.

Camilla pulled a stool through the door and slammed it shut. She sat, a gloating look on her face. She seemed so damn proud of herself.

“Fuck you,” Hinoka spat.

“Ah, ah, ah…” Camilla tutted. “Language like that isn’t how you should talk to a superior, is it?”

“Fuck. You.”

Camilla lashed out, slapping Hinoka across the cheek. Even this simple motion held incredible power behind it, and Hinoka’s cheek felt like it was on fire.

“Do you want to try that again? Or shall I leave you alone and come back later?”

Hinoka slumped.

“Good,” Camilla said, obviously pleased. She paused for a second before standing up again. She began to lurch overtop of Hinoka, humming.

“Hmm…” she paced around Hinoka, occasionally bending down and looking over her. “Where to start, where to start…” She smiled. “Oh, there’s just so much to do.”

“How about starting with something to eat?” Hinoka asked, her voice hoarse. “I’m starving.”

“Oh, we’ll get to that, don’t worry,” Camilla nodded. “Well, first things first.”

She reached down and began to tug at Hinoka’s ratty, torn clothes. Her pegasus riding gear, once elegant, was now stained with blood and mud, great tears cutting up the sides. Her boots were shredded to ribbons, flaps of leather dangling loosely around her shins. She groaned in pain as Camilla roughly tore her vest off, ripping along a damaged seam and dropping the two halves to the ground with a wet _splot_.

Camilla smiled warmly, running a single slender finger down Hinoka’s shoulder blade.

“Don’t touch me!” Hinoka snarled.

“Look at you, darling,” Camilla swooned, a hint of genuine concern in her voice. “You wouldn’t want these wounds to get infected, would you? We can’t have that.” She knelt behind Hinoka and tore her garters before jerking her boots off. Hinoka winced as the rough red leather scraped along her skin. The stone floor felt cool against her bare skin. Camilla tossed the boots aside, a pile of discarded filthy clothing now forming in the corner of the small room. Hinoka’s chest heaved and she clenched her teeth angrily.

“Don’t you touch me.”

Camilla laughed. “I really don’t think you’re in any position to be making demands, my dear.” From behind Hinoka, she draped a hand across her shoulder, slowly stroking Hinoka’s cheek. Her fingertips lingered briefly.

Hinoka twisted, trying in vain to pull away. Camilla again knelt behind her, gingerly touching the back of her thighs.

“Agh!” Hinoka cried out as Camilla pressed a cold cloth to her leg.

Camilla set to work diligently scrubbing Hinoka’s legs, rubbing off a crusty layer of blood and dirt. She cleaned her feet first, then worked her way up the leg. Her left thigh was the worst, the jagged tear of the wyvern bite caked in black blood. Camilla hummed softly as she worked, cleaning the wound with the cold, soapy water. Hinoka winced, the soap stinging in the wound.

“They aren’t venomous,” Camilla said idly.

“What?”

“Wyverns. They aren’t venomous. That’s a misconception. In reality…” she gently dabbed the wound with a dry cloth. It had begun to bleed again, a trickle of red dripping down her now-cleaned leg. “Their diet consists mainly of meat. If they can’t find fresh meat, they scavenge. They eat rotting meat, the meat gets caught in their teeth, which begin to harbor all manner of nasty things. Wyvern bites are quick to get infected, and more often than not require amputation.” She began wrapping a bandage around Hinoka’s leg. “That is, if you manage to escape the wyvern.”

“Lucky me,” Hinoka grumbled.

“You _are_ lucky,” Camilla said, standing up again. She put a hand on each of Hinoka’s shoulders. “If it weren’t for my kindness, you’d be dying a slow and painful death right now.”

“Your _kindness_? You’re the reason I’m here in the first place.”

Camilla circled back around to the stool she had brought in and took a seat. “You’re here as a result of your own foolishness. I simply play the hand I’m dealt, to use a Nohrian expression. You do play cards in Hoshido, yes?”

“You’re a monster,” Hinoka said calmly.

“A monster? Goodness, no.” Camilla waved her hand. “A formidable warrior, sure, though I hate to talk up my own skill. But a monster?”

“Don’t you see what you’re doing?!” Hinoka cried. “All those innocent people…”

“Innocent?” Camilla leaned forward on her stool. “In what way are those people innocent? Soldiers are soldiers. In case you didn’t realize, this is a war, your _highness_.”

“A war _you_ started!” Hinoka protested. “All of the dead in Shirasagi, the trail of dead you’ve left along the Hoshidan border, Cheve…do I need to go on?!”

 “War is war.”

“War is one thing. What you’re doing…it’s madness.”

“It’s not my station to question the will of my father,” Camilla said simply.

“Then you’re complicit! Nohr is the aggressor here! If you hadn’t attacked us, then-“

“If we hadn’t attacked?” Camilla said, cutting her off. “Do you think that you’re blameless for this war?”

“We just wanted peace,” Hinoka choked out, the metal collar weighing on her neck. “We never wanted to fight.”

“Violence isn’t only enacted with a sword, you know.” Camilla gave her a contemplative look.

Hinoka stared at the dead air between them. There was no sound but the distant dripping of some water and the crackle of a torch in the hall.

Both women waited, neither willing to break the stalemate. Finally, at long last.

“Why didn’t you help us?!” Camilla snapped, standing up suddenly, knocking her stool over. “Why didn’t you do _anything?!”_

“W-we-“

“We what?” Camilla roared. “You nothing! You sat by and watched us suffering, growing fat while we starved! I’ve seen the rice fields and fisheries. You have so much that you throw away more food than we can harvest! We’re dying, and you’re content to sit back and watch!”

“Big words, coming from the royal family! As if you don’t live in excess while your people starve! Maybe if you wanted to stop the famine, you could have donated some of your wealth to the people!”

“What would you have me do?” Camilla got in Hinoka’s face. “I eat three meals a day, same as you. If I cut that to two, what would that do? Feed one more person for one meal? Maybe two, if they share? That doesn’t fix the root of the problem!” She stood and paced around Hinoka. “It’s not just food either! Lumber, minerals, ore…we have nothing! We scrape by with what little we come by while you live in excess! If this is a war, princess, it’s a war of your own making.”

“Maybe if you spent less on your military and more on feeding your people-“

Camilla smacked the back of her head. “You insolent bitch. You think everything can be happy and rainbows like in your magical sunrise land, but you don’t realize what it’s like everywhere else.” She continued her pacing. “An army is vital in Nohr. You…you sit behind your magical barrier where everything is beautiful and peaceful, but out here?” she gestured wildly. “Bandits, thieves, murderers, rapists, monsters, faceless, wolfskins…without an army, our people would die. With no one to defend them, what would happen to our people?!”

“It’s not our fault that Nohr drew the short straw,” Hinoka growled.

Camilla laughed, her voice hollow and mirthless. “No, but can you blame us for our anger?”

“A peaceful solution could have been reached!”

“Peace?” Camilla shouted. “You ignorant fool. You think everything can be solved with words.”

Hinoka glared at her. “Just because your first solution was violence doesn’t mean-“

“First solution?” Camilla said. “We’ve tried. We send envoys, treaties, petitions…we begged Hoshido for help, but your people, in their infinite wisdom and kindness, deemed us lesser. You pushed us to the brink, and you dare to act surprised when we push back.”

Camilla picked at her nails idly. “You sheltered little princess,” she sneered. “I bet you’ve never truly suffered a day in your life.”

“And you have? You talk of the suffering of your people, but I spoke with my sister. I know how the Nohrian nobility lives.”

Camilla knelt in front of her, drawing her face in close. Hinoka could smell her perfume, a sweet scent of vanilla and honey. Camilla reached up and pulled back her bangs and revealed her usually-hidden left eye. The eye was white and glassy, wreathed in a wicked scar stretching down the side of her face.

“I have endured agony you couldn’t even imagine,” she growled, letting the swoop of bangs drop back down in front of her eye. She slapped Hinoka again. “Don’t you dare insinuate otherwise.”

Hinoka, face smarting, felt her lead droop. Her neck struggled to keep up her defiant pose. “What do you want from me?” she asked.

Camilla smiled. “Why, I thought you’d never ask. I needed…oh…a bargaining chip, shall we say. In the meantime, though, I suppose I can do whatever I want with you.”

“So…torture.”

“Among other things,” Camilla nodded, glad Hinoka was getting with the program. “I must say, something about you is very…alluring.” She smiled again.

“If you touch me…”

“You’ll what?” Camilla laughed. “You can do nothing, Hinoka- _sama_ ,” she said brightly, her use of the Hoshidan honorific dripping with sarcasm. “My dear, sweet princess…you’re my pet now.” She bent over and picked up the stool, readjusting it.

“My mood is spoiled. I’ll be back tomorrow. With any luck, you’ll be a little more appreciative of your position.” She let the heavy wooden door slam shut behind her. Hinoka, half-naked and shivering, stared at the door. She listened as the echoing footsteps outside faded away.


	3. Chapter 3

The door opened and Camilla entered again, this time with a wooden tray. On the tray was a bottle of wine, an empty glass, and a small basket of what looked to be small biscuits. Camilla set the tray down on the table and poured a glass of wine.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that,” she said without turning around.

Hinoka shook her head, the last vestiges of sleep scattering from her mind. She hadn’t slept well, of course. Her kneeling position prevented anything even resembling restful sleep, and the constant throbbing pain in her body made trying to relax impossible. The wyvern had really done a number on her.

Camilla turned around finally, looking down at Hinoka. “The silent treatment, eh?” she took a sip from her glass. “Pity. If you were to be more cooperative, I might consider rewarding you.”

Hinoka’s gaze instinctively shot to the tray of food. Her stomach ached, and even such plain food looked incredible.

“That?” Camilla laughed. “Oh, gods no. That’s for me. You will get food when you deserve food.”

Hinoka felt crushed. Her expression must have shown it, as Camilla cooed again and reached out a hand to gently stroke her hair.

“Don’t worry, my dear. Soon.”

Hinoka glared at her. “Can you at least give me water?”

“Water?” Camilla frowned. “How long have you been here? Two days? Mmm…no, I think you can go a bit longer.”

“P-please,” Hinoka choked out. “Please.”

A smile crept across Camilla’s face. “Begging? See, I told you how easily you would catch on.” She leaned in close to Hinoka. “Beg me again.”

Hinoka steeled herself, her resolve suddenly strengthened. She dredged up what moisture she could and spat on Camilla’s face.

She leaned back, and slowly, sensually licked her lips. She made a big show of brushing the saliva off her cheek into her own mouth. She leaned in again, close to Hinoka.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today,” she said, malice creeping into her voice.

She leaned back. “You know, maybe I was hasty. Perhaps you can have something to drink.” She lifted the entire wine bottle to her mouth before grabbing Hinoka’s cheeks and kissing her.

Hinoka choked as a warm, sweet liquid flooded into her mouth. She coughed, wine dribbling down her cheek. The small amount she managed to swallow trickled down her throat. As Camilla pulled away, she found herself impulsively trying to follow, leaning her head forward, desperate for more to drink.

Camilla smiled. “You flatter me, darling. But just one, for now.” She took another drink from her own glass, staring contemplatively at Hinoka. She took a closer look.

“Hinoka,” she said somewhat mischievously. “Are you a virgin?”

Hinoka fumed, her surprise evaporating in a burst of embarrassed anger. “I-no…it’s-“

Camilla laughed. “Oh, gods, Hinoka, was that your first kiss?”

“You…I…uh…” Hinoka fumbled for the words, hating herself for the blush creeping into her face.

“Oh, if I had known I would have made it more special!” Camilla reached into her tray and withdrew a biscuit, taking a polite bite. “This is fine, though,” she continued. “I prefer working with a blank canvas. You don’t have to devote all that time to…unlearning bad habits.”

Hinoka gulped. “If you touch me, I’ll…”

“This again? Please, go on.”

“I’ll kill you. I swear I will.”

“Let’s see you try.” Camilla said defiantly. She pulled from the tray a jagged knife, which she set on the ground in front of Hinoka. “Are you a fan of games, princess? I am.” She drained her wine glass. “Let’s play a fun game, shall we? I will leave this knife here. You try to kill me. That’s all.”

She sat back on her stool and ate another biscuit while she watched.

Hinoka stared at the knife, the silver blade shining. First, she went the obvious route, simply trying to break through the chains holding her arms by strength of will alone. She pulled and pulled. Finally giving up, arms weak from exertion, she slumped over. She then tried using her now-bare legs to shift around and scoot the knife towards her with her feet.

In her head, she silently cursed herself for skipping all those times Sakura wanted to do yoga.

As expected, her struggles were met with no success.

“You’re so beautiful when you struggle like that,” Camilla said somewhat dreamily. “I could watch you all day, I think.” She seemed to consider something for a moment. “Though you know what would help…” she picked the knife up off the ground and approached Hinoka, pressing the tip of the blade against her neck.

Hinoka breathed slowly. “If you’re going to kill me, get it over with.”

Instead, Camilla brought the knife down in a slashing motion, the sharp blade effortlessly slicing through Hinoka’s torn and threadbare clothing. In a matter of seconds, Camilla had cut Hinoka’s dress from neckline to skirt hem. She pulled the scraps of fabric off Hinoka, leaving her kneeling, clad in just her underwear.

“Much better,” Camilla said, satisfied with her handiwork. She smirked, watching Hinoka squirm and struggle against her chains.

“You bitch!” Hinoka roared. “Fuck you! Don’t you fucking touch me!”

Camilla trailed a finger from Hinoka’s lips down her neckline and between her breasts, tugging lightly at the bridge of her bra. All the while Hinoka screamed obscenities at her. Camilla smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Hinoka gripped her naginata and lunged, her nimble feet darting between the rocks. She made a slicing motion, stopping and changing course mid-swing and faking out her opponent. She twisted, using the blunt end of the naginata to deal a sturdy blow to the midsection. She used the force to push again, causing the figure to stumble back. She followed up with a kick, her foot planting itself directly against the black armor.

Hinoka continued, relentless, swinging her naginata around and using the curved blade to catch her opponent’s axe, prying it free and sending it clattering across the rocky cliffside. She lowered her shoulder and charged, pushing her opponent to the edge of the cliff. The figure grabbed her and spun, the two twisting through the air. Hinoka dropped her naginata, concentrating on keeping herself from being thrown off the cliff.

The two collapsed to the rocky ground, Hinoka straddling the figure. She bent over and quickly ripped off the black helmet, tossing it off the cliff. She paused, staring at Camilla’s amused face. Camilla smiled.

“You’ve certainly improved since we last met.”

Hinoka let out a cry of frustration and balled her hand into a fist. She swung with all her might, her fist colliding with Camilla’s cheek.

“You bitch! Fuck you!” Hinoka cried, profanity pouring out as she dealt blow after blow, her knuckles splitting and bleeding under the stress of her raining punches. Her strikes slowed, exhaustion setting in as she screamed and raved. At long last, she drew back one final time. She paused, fist in the air, breathing heavily.

Camilla lay beneath her, face bruised and bloody. She smiled weakly, her teeth stained with blood. Hinoka straddled her, fist frozen, unable to continue. She collapsed on top of Camilla, letting her arms drape loosely over the woman’s body. She sobbed, anger evaporating as she began crying into Camilla’s neck.

“It’s okay,” Camilla choked out, her armored arms wrapping around Hinoka’s frail frame. “Shh, it’s okay.”

Hinoka cried, weakly trying to pound her fists against Camilla’s chest. “I hate you!” she sputtered. “Fuck you! I’ll kill you!”

“Shh…” Camilla shushed her, her gloved hands running along Hinoka’s shoulders. “Shh…it’s okay. I’m here.”

“Die…” Hinoka said feebly, her fists shaking, her blows just feeble taps against Camilla’s thick black breastplate. Her tears stopped and she ceased her weak assault, breathing heavily in Camilla’s arms. Camilla sighed and reached up to her face, wiping blood off her cheek before tightening her grip.

The two lay in silence on the stone clifftop, the wind kicking clouds of dust around them.

“You’re still wearing it,” Camilla said softly, idly fingering a leather choker around Hinoka’s neck. The choker was clasped at the front with a small iron padlock.

Hinoka nodded. “What did you do to me?” she sniffled. She closed her eyes, her thoughts far away, in a time and place that seemed so distant.

 

 

_She stood, naked, staring up at Camilla, their eyes locked. The glow of orange firelight dancing across Camilla’s stylish black armor, the gold trim glowing. Camilla wrapped a necklace around her, tightening it. With a click, she locked the_ choker _shut, dropping the small padlock._ Hinoka _nodded._

_“It’s just for show,” Camilla explained softly. “But it’s a reminder. You’re mine, forever.” She pulled Hinoka close, the two locking lips passionately._

 

 

Hinoka tried to control her breathing. All her training fell apart at times like this. She sat up, legs straddling Camilla. She leaned, resting both hands on Camilla’s chest.

“What now?” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“You could let me go,” Camilla said slyly. “Though, right now, _I’m_ at _your_ mercy. An interesting change of pace, if you’d like to take advantage of it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Hinoka lay in bed on her stomach, swinging her bare legs idly. She reached up to her throat and scratched under her collar. It was a bit itchy, but this was by far an improvement over the dark, cramped cell. She was given free reign in this room, so long as she didn’t cause trouble. She had begrudgingly agreed, if for nothing else for the ability to sit or lay down – really, anything other than being on her knees. She rolled onto her back, lifting her book over her head.

She never had been much for Nohrian literature, but Camilla had strongly recommended this one. It was alright, she supposed. A bit too dreary, she thought.

She set the book down on her bare chest. Camilla had expressly forbade wearing any clothing, which made evenings like this a little too chilly for her taste.

She sighed. If she was to be a prisoner here, who’s to say she couldn’t make the best of her situation? How long had it been since she was in the dungeon? For that matter, how long had she been in the dungeon before agreeing to Camilla’s new rules? She was Camilla’s plaything regardless, so she might as well live in moderate comfort, right? No sense in suffering more just for the sake of pride.

She shook her head. Pride was such a silly concept anyway.

She heard a rustling at the door.

As per routine, she climbed out of bed and knelt in front of the door, resting her hands in her lap. She smiled brightly as Camilla walked in.

“Welcome home, Lady Camilla,” she said.

Camilla smiled down at her and ruffled her hair. “Hello, dear.” She lowered herself and kissed Hinoka, their lips parting. Hinoka’s tongue brushed past Camilla’s lips and pushed into her mouth. Camilla braced herself, each hand gripping one of Hinoka’s shoulders. Hinoka wrapped her slender arms around Camilla’s neck, locking her in for the kiss.

When they broke, Camilla snickered. “Did you miss me, my pet?”

Hinoka nodded. “I always miss you, master.”

“Mmm,” Camilla purred, pulling her boots off. “You know I love when you call me that.”

She pulled Hinoka to her feet and kissed her again, wrapping her arms around Hinoka’s naked frame. Hinoka leaned into the hug, enjoying the feeling of Camilla’s soft, warm body. She returned the kiss voraciously, her open mouth pressed into Camilla’s, her tongue darting in and out, running over her partner’s lips and tongue.


	6. Chapter 6

Hinoka nocked an arrow and took aim, firing more with aggression than finesse and accuracy. She loosed arrow after arrow at her target, seething with rage as the wooden practice darts clattered around field. After a full minute of continuous shooting she stopped, reaching into her quiver and finding it empty. She looked up at the straw training dummy.

A single arrow protruded awkwardly from the dummy’s midsection. If it had been a real person, it wouldn’t have pierced through leather, much less inflict a wound.

“Shit!” she swore, slamming her yumi to the ground. “Piece of crap bow!” she kicked at it, her boot scuffing the dirt harmlessly.

“It helps if you bother to aim,” Takumi said sourly, sitting on a bench behind her. “You’re never going to hit anything if you just try and use brute force.”

“I know,” Hinoka took a moment to calm herself. In her head, she worked through her anger management steps. _Deep breathing. Count. One. Two. Three._ She closed her eyes and breathed calmly as she counted. Ryoma has chastised her enough about her temper, and Takumi was trying to help her. She didn’t need to blow up on him. “I know. I’m sorry.” She leaned back against the sturdy wooden fence that encircled the archery field. She opened her eyes again, looking across the arena at her legion of misfired shots.

“Why are you so interested in learning to shoot a bow anyway? I thought you were going to work on promoting to be a falcon knight,” Takumi asked. He stood up and took her place down range from the target, drawing his bow.

“I…I changed my mind. I really think I need to work on my ranged combat.” Hinoka put her hands behind her back, bracing herself on the fence, rocking idly. “I’m in the sky already, so I might as well be better equipped to fight other flying soldiers, right?”

Takumi shrugged. “Makes sense to me.”

He loosed an arrow, the wooden missile slicing through the air and embedding itself perfectly in the training dummy’s head. He nocked a second shot.

Hinoka stared at the sky. It was a blue, cloudless day. The sun beat down, making the air hot and dry. They were nearing the Wind Tribe’s territory, and here the lush land was slowly turning to the hard, dry desert. She sighed.

“Hinoka,” Takumi asked suddenly, approaching her. “Are…are you alright?”

“What do you mean?” Hinoka frowned. “Of course I am.”

“You just seem…different.”

“How so?”

“Ever since you were rescued from Fort Dragonfall, you’ve seemed kind of…tense. More so than usual, I mean.”

Hinoka shook her head. “War is stressful, Takumi. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“See, that’s what I mean. You’re so different. You seem angrier, and this obsession with learning archery…what happened to you?”

Hinoka brushed past him, bending over to pick up her bow. “Thanks for the lessons, Takumi. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”


	7. Chapter 7

Camilla yanked on the chain roughly, tugging Hinoka back. Her dungeon cell had been “upgraded”, to put it charitably. Rather than the restrictive contraption she had been locked in before, she was held by just a metal collar. A chain connected the collar to the wall, usually, though Camilla was free to unlock the chain and use it like…

_A leash,_ Hinoka growled to herself. Camilla tugged again, pulling Hinoka to the ground. She stood in front of Hinoka, her black boots inches from Hinoka’s face.

“Lick them,” she requested, her voice kind but betraying that it was a command, not a suggestion. Hinoka clenched her teeth angrily.

The past…days? Weeks? She had no way to know. They had not been kind. Her wounds were healing well enough, but this…she breathed out.

“Do I need to repeat myself?” Camilla said sternly giving a short yank on the chain for emphasis.

Hinoka shook her head. She leaned forward and parted her lips, extending out her tongue and running it along the smooth black metal of Camilla’s boots. It tasted metallic – of course it did. She pulled back after one brief lick.

Camilla shook her head. “I’m not going to ask you a third time.”

Hinoka grumbled. She slowly ran her tongue along the boot, tracing the bridge of the shoe. She leaned forward, grabbing Camilla’s shin, and licked the heel.

Camilla hummed and nodded.

_She’s sick_ , Hinoka thought to herself as she did as commanded. _She’s disgusting. How can she make me do this?_

She continued trailing her tongue along the boot, pausing to look up at Camilla. Her face was flush and she was breathing heavily, obviously getting some sort of sick pleasure from this.

She finally pulled back, kneeling at Camilla’s feet, looking up at her with an angry expression on her face. “Happy?” she said bitterly.

“Very,” Camilla smiled. “Would you like your reward?”

Hinoka glared at her. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from snapping. Slowly, staring at the floor, she nodded.

Camilla took a drink from a flask of water before kissing Hinoka. It was one of her _rules_. This is the only way to get anything to drink. It was nasty and horrible, and was used as a “reward” for good behavior. Hinoka gulped at the water, lapping at Camilla’s moist lips as she pulled away.

“Very good. See, you’re coming along quite nicely,” Camilla said, sitting on her stool. She crossed her legs.

Hinoka gave her a strange look, looking at her with embarrassment before turning her gaze to the floor.

“What’s that look for?” Camilla asked.

“Nothing,” Hinoka snapped, too quickly for it to be the truth.

“My dear, I’m trying to foster a relationship of trust here. If you don’t tell me what’s the matter, then how am I supposed to help you?”

“I…” Hinoka blushed, her gaze turning to the ground. “I need to pee.”

“Have you considered asking politely?” Camilla smirked.

“I…” Hinoka shook her head, a mix of anger and embarrassment swirling around her. “Lady Camilla, may I please go to the bathroom.”

“Okay,” Camilla said plainly.

Hinoka stared at her. Camilla sat on her stool, unmoving. She raised an eyebrow.

“Are…are you going to take me there?” Hinoka asked.

“Oh, you didn’t ask if you could _use_ a bathroom,” Camilla said, smugness so damn apparent in her voice. “You asked if you could _go_. Which you’re absolutely welcome to.” She nodded at Hinoka.

Hinoka stared at her.

Then it hit her. _Oh._

_Gods, she’s disgusting_.


	8. Chapter 8

“What happened out there?!” Ryoma roared at her, his voice blunt and angry. He pounded his fist on the table before them, rattling the scattered papers and writing utensils.

“I-I-I-“ Hinoka stuttered, trying to form a complete sentence.

“You _what_?” Ryoma shouted. “Don’t you have an explanation? Anything at all?”

“I don’t know,” Hinoka said quietly, her voice quivering. “I don’t know what happened.”

“You don’t know?” Ryoma snapped. “What do you want me to tell their families? The wives, husbands, children, parents? ‘I’m sorry, I can’t tell you how loved ones died because their commanding officer _doesn’t know’_?!”

“Stop yelling!” Hinoka yelled, rubbing her eyes. “I’m sorry! I don’t…I can’t…” she gasped for breath.

“Hinoka, you can’t slip up like that in battle. As it is, you lost the fort and the men and women defending it! And you have no way to explain it?!”

“I…I screwed up.”

“Yes, yes you did.” Ryoma crossed his arms expectantly. “Your recklessness has always been noticeable, but it’s never been a problem because you can fight well. If you can’t fight, and you can’t command…what use are you?”

Hinoka nodded, rubbing angry tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry!” she shouted suddenly. “I’m sorry! What do you want me to say?!”

“I want an explanation for the twenty-five funeral pyres we have to build because of _your_ mistakes!” Ryoma glared at her.

“I…I was distracted…” Hinoka admitted, staring at the ground. Tears still clung to her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t focus. The enemy commander, they – “

“They what?”

Hinoka shook her head. In her mind, she knew exactly what had happened. She and Camilla had been re-dressing in the forest when the Nohrian cavalry had arrived, a second commander in tow. Her romantic tryst had lost the fort.

She bowed deeply. “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re damn right it won’t,” Ryoma snapped. “You’re being demoted. You are to oversee all training exercises here until such time that I see you are fit to return to battle.”

“What?!” Hinoka gaped at him. “Are you serious?!”

“You can’t be trusted to command soldiers. You’re unwell – angry, unfocused, insomniac…you’re in no position to lead.”

“Big brother, you can’t seriously – “

Ryoma held up a hand. “I am your brother, but I am your king and commanding officer before all else. Are you questioning your orders?”

Hinoka bowed her head. “No, sir.”

“Good. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll leave you to it.” Ryoma brushed past her roughly on his way out the door.

Hinoka clenched her fists, shaking. She lashed out, kicking a chair. “FUCK!” she screamed. “FUCK!” she kicked another chair before overturning the makeshift table, sending maps and papers scattering across the room. She roared, a vague noise of frustration and anger. She punched a wall, her knuckles splitting as she continued her rampage. She stopped finally, dropping to her knees and holding her head in her arms.

She sobbed, angry tears flooding her eyes. She knew it was her fault. Her screw-up that cost lives, and would continue to cost lives until the fort was retaken. She pounded her head against the floor, sobbing, sadness and anger alternating quickly.

Anger overtook her again as she heard a knock at the door.

“What?!” she snapped. “What the fuck do you want?!”

A soft, quivering voice came through the door. “I-It’s me, big sister.”

Sakura.

Hinoka’s heart melted and she felt her stomach drop.

“Oh, gods, Sakura, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” she hastily offered an apology as she opened the door. She realized she probably looked like a mess. Matted hair, puffy eyes, tearstained cheeks, bloody knuckles, framed in a backdrop of broken furniture and scattered books.

“I-I-I heard you and b-big brother Ryoma fighting,” Sakura said softly. “I was going to go take a b-bath and thought you m-might want to join me.” Her voice was meek and indistinct. “But you don’t h-have to-“

“No, it’s fine,” Hinoka shook her head. “I really could use some relaxation, I think.”

Sakura smiled.

 

Hinoka and Sakura stood on the edge of the hot spring baths, undressing. Hinoka pulled her boots off and undid the blue ties that secured her dress. She dropped her vest to the ground and began to tug off her dress.

“What’s that?” Sakura asked, gesturing at Hinoka’s neck.

“Oh, this?” Hinoka asked, fingering the leather choker around her neck.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before.” Sakura neatly folded her clothes into a pile and began to pull off her headband.

“It’s…uh…” Hinoka fumbled for the words. “A friend gave it to me.”

“Oh, did Setsuna?”

“Mm…no,” Hinoka shook her head as the two began to walk towards the baths.

“Oboro? I know she really likes fashion.”

“No, it was…someone you wouldn’t know.”

“Someone you met in Nohr?”

Hinoka nodded and smiled. “Yeah. She was…she was very kind to me. More kind than I deserved, probably.”

Sakura let out a sigh as she sunk herself into the steaming water of the spring. Hinoka hesitated for a moment before joining her. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. In. Out. In. Out. Calm. Calm. In. Out.

“Was she another prisoner, like you?”

Hinoka opened her eyes. “Um…sort of. Not really in the same way as me, no.”

“It’s pretty,” Sakura said. “A little plain, but it’s got its charm.”

Hinoka nodded. “It’s a reminder.”

“Of what?”

“That the Nohrians are just people, like us. They have their own reasons to fight, like we do. They laugh, and cry, and…love. Just like us.”

“Takumi doesn’t seem to think so. He hates them. He said he thinks they should all die.”

Hinoka let out a hollow laugh. “Yeah, I know he does. Maybe he needs a reminder like this, too?”

Sakura smiled. “Yeah, maybe.”

They sat in silence, listening to the ambient rippling of water and steam.

“Was she pretty? The girl who gave you that necklace?”

Hinoka smiled. “She was beautiful.”

“Do you miss her sometimes?”

“Every day,” Hinoka said quietly.

Sakura nodded. “I miss Kamui.”

Hinoka put on a brave smile. “Well, that’s why we need to finish up this war, huh? So we can all be together again. Like family.”


	9. Chapter 9

Camilla slowly scraped the blade across Hinoka’s exposed flesh, drawing a line of bright crimson along the top of her breast. The blade was sharp but the cut was shallow, and the blood that seeped out fell in a narrow trickle between Hinoka’s breasts. Camilla bent her head forward and drank, her tongue lapping at the blood.

Hinoka ignored her, staring forward into the darkness of the cell with cold, emotionless eyes. A rough cloth gag was tied around her head, a punishment for previous “back-talking”, as Camilla had so aptly put it. To stifle her torrent of profanity and invectives. How long ago had that been?

There was no time here, not anymore. There was nothing. Not a soul had come to visit her save her captor, nor had she even heard footsteps. The only reality was her chains, the thick stone walls, the heavy, damp air. She was motionless, enduring Camilla’s torments. It was drawing blood again today. She had thought that when she stopped responding, Camilla would cease. That it was no fun to abuse a victim that wouldn’t respond. It was about provoking a response, not the acts themselves.

She was wrong. As she watched Camilla lick her chest, she felt disconnected. She was a sadist, no two ways about it. She would play with Hinoka until she was spent, and then toss her away, a pile of discarded skin and bone. The despair had set in and passed. As had the depression. The anger. It was all gone now. Hinoka closed her eyes.

She lowered herself into that soft, comforting dark. The all-encompassing detachment. The world around her – the real world, rather – faded away. Pain, discomfort, embarrassment…she breathed slowly. So entrenched was she that she barely noticed as the heavy metal collar around her neck opened. She was vaguely aware of being cradled, then being gently lowered to the cold stone floor. She tried to will herself to open her eyes, but her body refused to respond. Resigned, she ignored the sensations she knew existed but couldn’t force herself to engage with.

She felt something warm binding her, a soft texture tightly wrapping her bare skin. Lips pressed against her forehead, then her own lips, after her gag was untied and removed. She heard a soft voice whisper in her ear.

“My sweet, sweet Hinoka…would you like to get out of this dreary place?”

Hinoka opened her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Camilla stared at the light brown broth steaming in her bowl. She stirred it, mixing together noodles and…other things. She could identify some of the ingredients, but…

“Those are mushrooms,” Hinoka said plainly.

Camilla nodded. She pointed her chopsticks to another part of the bowl.

“Pork.”

Another nod, and another point.

“Seaweed.”

That got a response. “Seaweed?” she asked, somewhat incredulously.

Hinoka nodded. “It’s good, I promise. Just try it.”

Camilla stirred the bowl again, a puff of steam rising up between the two women. “Are you sure you aren’t trying to poison me? Bamboo, seaweed…you eat this stuff?”

Hinoka nodded. “Unlike Nohrians, we treat our prisoners well. It’s good, sturdy food. And besides…” she turned her face down, blushing a bit. “I worked really hard on it.”

Camilla smiled sweetly. “Then I’m sure it’s delicious.” She tried to pull out some of the noodles but failed, obviously having difficulty using the chopsticks. Hinoka smirked and watched her struggle. She gave up and tried just scooping the noodles but they slid off the wooden sticks, leaving her with a single small noodle. Camilla stared at it with disdain.

“I could get you a spoon, if you’d like,” Hinoka smiled.

“That would be nice, dear.”

Hinoka produced a spoon, obviously having been prepared for this outcome, and passed it across the table.

They were in a sparsely decorated room, traditional Hoshidan-style with thin walls and a rice-straw floor. They were both sitting cross-legged on opposite sides of a squat table.

Hinoka leaned back, enjoying watching Camilla struggle with the uncomfortable seating and the difficult utensils. She smirked.

Ryoma’s ban on her involvement in combat had been a crippling blow – being confined to the camp was almost a fate worse than death. However, it also gave her plenty of free time – time to practice archery, to scout enemy troop movements, to track the chain of command…time to lay traps. Camilla had taken her defeat surprisingly gracefully.

Camilla looked around the room. “I would have expected more security.”

“They only know that I captured a wyvern knight. Not who you are.”

Camilla nodded, blowing off a spoonful of broth before taking a cautious sip. She made a surprised face and took another sip. Hinoka smiled slightly, happy that she could at least make a decent bowl of ramen.

“So where does that leave us?” Camilla asked. “You’ve turned the tables. Bravo. What do you plan to do with me?”

Hinoka shrugged. “To be honest, I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

“You spent all this time planning, but you didn’t come up with anything should your plan succeed?”

“I…uh…” Hinoka blushed. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I thought…I thought maybe you’d just want to stay with me.”

Camilla gave her a funny look. “And why would I want to do that?”

“Well, you know…” Hinoka shrugged sheepishly.

“I…I think you may be confused.”

“Lady Camilla, do you not still love me?” Hinoka frowned at her.

Camilla looked at her incredulously. “Love?” she asked. Then she smiled broadly. “Gods, no.”

Hinoka’s stomach dropped. “What?”

Camilla laughed. “Oh, gods, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, dear, but you had to have known that from the beginning.”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Did you – did you really think I _loved_ you?” Camilla laughed again, the sound like daggers through Hinoka’s heart. “Gods, I knew you were naïve, but that’s really something else.” She smiled and took another bite of her meal. “It was a game, Hinoka. Do you really need me to spell this out for you?”

Hinoka was trembling. “I-I-I-I-“ she struggled to come up with another word to follow up with.

Camilla continued laughing. “ _Love_? Oh, dear me, Hinoka, you couldn’t possibly think you were unique? The only one?”

“What do you mean?”

Camilla stared at her in disbelief. “Well, if you don’t understand, then I’m certainly not going to be the one to explain it to you.”

“B-but, you-“

“I what?” Camilla narrowed her eyes.

Hinoka fumbled at her neck and produced the padlock choker. “What about this?”

Camilla cackled. “Gods, you’re still wearing that silly thing?!”

Hinoka felt tears welling in her eyes. “C-C-Camilla, I-I-“

Camilla shushed her. “Don’t say anything else, please. If you’re here to discuss the terms of my imprisonment or release, I’d prefer to speak to someone with an actual rank. If not, I’d like to hurry this process up as much as possible.”

 

Hinoka stormed through the doors of Ryoma’s study, slamming them open. “The prisoner I caught,” she said angrily. “It’s not just any wyvern knight, sir. It’s Lady Camilla. She needs to be thrown in a cell and left to rot.”

Ryoma looked up at her and dropped his book in surprise.


	11. Chapter 11

Hinoka lay in bed next to Camilla, her bare skin glowing in the orange firelight. Hinoka’s fingers danced lightly across Camilla’s stomach, running over the soft skin. Camilla let out a soft hum, entwining her fingers in Hinoka’s red hair. Hinoka kissed her cheek, murmuring quietly.

The room was silent except for the crackling fireplace. Hinoka was glad Camilla chose to stay for the night. More often than not, other duties or responsibilities called her away and their time together was brief. Tonight, though…

“Camilla,” Hinoka said suddenly, breaking the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course, dear,” Camilla responded, playing with a lock of Hinoka’s hair.

“What…what happened to your eye?”

Camilla’s fingers froze. Hinoka, resting her head on Camilla’s chest, felt her breathing catch. She hurried to recover. “I’m sorry!” she sputtered, sitting up. “I didn’t mean-“

Camilla shushed her. “It’s fine. Lay back down.” She pulled Hinoka back to her chest. “You just surprised me, is all.”

Camilla sighed deeply. “My brother gave it to me.”

“What?” Hinoka asked, genuinely surprised. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a long, dreary story, dear. I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.”

“It’s not like I have anything else to do,” Hinoka joked, slightly nervous that it would come off as an insult.

Camilla laughed. “I suppose that’s true.” She adjusted slightly, sitting up a bit and shifting some pillows behind her.

After a short pause, she began to speak. “I…my mother, Ione, wasn’t the queen of Nohr. She, like many others, was a concubine to the king. When the king’s first wife, Katerina, died, he…changed. This was before I was born, so I couldn’t say more. But what I do know is that there were many of us. Concubines, servants, maids, even some guards…the king drowned his sorrows in flesh. Each of the mothers thought that they had a chance to wield power in Nohr – if their child became heir to the throne, that would make them incredibly influential. And when Garon inevitably died, that would make them the de facto queen. The only problem being the abundance of potential royal heirs. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

Hinoka nodded, a little bit anxious.

“My mother, like others, often times commanded me to do…horrible things. Things I’m not proud of. Things that I now know are irredeemable.”

“Don’t say that,” Hinoka replied, rubbing Camilla’s arm. “I’m sure you only did what you had to. No one can fault you for that.”

Camilla shook her head. “I’ll spare you the grisly details, my sweet, but you’re wrong. The things I did…” she trailed off, her eyes staring into the middle ground, her breathing even and measured.

Hinoka curled against her tighter. It wasn’t her place to push her master, and she wouldn’t dare with such a delicate topic.

After a while, Camilla spoke again. “Before long, only four of us remained. Me, my brothers Leo and Xander, and my sister Elise. Leo and Elise were both younger than me, just babies, and thus not an issue. Xander, however…my mother summoned me to her chambers one day. She handed me a knife and told me to kill Xander. With him gone, I would become heir.”

“That’s horrible,” Hinoka murmured.

“My mother was a cruel and heartless woman,” Camilla nodded. “But she was my mother. There was no other choice. I found Xander studying in the library, his back to the door. I crept up behind him and thrust the knife through the chair, burying it in his back.”

Camilla shifted again. “He was wearing chainmail, however, and the blow did little more than bruise. He immediately retaliated, kicking his chair backwards into me and grabbing my hand. He twisted the knife out of my grip and kicked it away before drawing his sword.”

Her voice was shakier now, the thrill of violence meeting the pain of recollection. “I knew that I had no choice. This war among the king’s children had been waged in secret – murder was still murder, you see. I had no choice but to succeed or die. If I failed…I and my mother would be put to death. Desperate, I attacked him. Even at his young age, even before he reached double digits, he was an exceptionally skilled swordsman. His aptitude with the blade was remarkable, and Father’s intense training regimen only accelerated that. I was younger, defenseless, inexperienced…” Camilla’s voice trailed off.

“I tackled him and picked the knife up off the floor. As I pinned him down, I tried stabbing him again. He grabbed my arm and shoved me back. He drew his sword again. And so it was, knife versus sword, a desperate battle between two children. I did what I could, but in the end, he of course bested me. He slashed at my arm and I dodged poorly. He sliced through the side of my face.”

Hinoka brought her hand to her mouth, horrified.

“I dropped my knife and fell to the floor, clutching my bleeding face. I…I will forever be grateful that Xander did not kill me then and there.”

“What happened?”

“He helped me clean the wound and sent me to the infirmary. He told his father that I had asked him to teach me some fighting moves and the training got out of hand.” Camilla shrugged. “Even to this day, if I ask him about it he claims he does not remember.”

Hinoka clung tightly to Camilla’s side. “That’s so awful. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not so bad as it sounds,” Camilla smiled, planting a kiss on Hinoka’s forehead. “It’s a reminder to love and cherish my siblings. And a reminder to be more careful in battle.”

Hinoka laughed. “I suppose that’s true.”

“But anyway, enough of such dull and depressing talk. The past is done with. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather enjoy what’s in my present,” Camilla said, lowering herself and burying her face in Hinoka’s chest. Hinoka giggled, the long locks of purple hair tickling her bare skin. She laughed and kissed Camilla’s head. Camilla wrapped her arms tightly around Hinoka’s waist and kissed her breasts, trailing her lips down her stomach.

“Hey, w-wait!” Hinoka blushed, her voice dissolving into a pool of giggles and hushed moans.


	12. Chapter 12

Hinoka lay in bed, clutching her pillow tightly, sobbing. She buried her face in the pillow, trying to muffle her weeping. Every time she felt like she was getting better, she remembered Camilla’s words and the tears would begin anew, perhaps with even more vigor than the last time. She sobbed and sobbed, gasping for breath, choking and gasping unevenly.

She had reported Camilla to Ryoma, of course, and she was transferred to a real cell – a stone dungeon with thick metal bars. She was stripped of her armor and given prisoner’s attire, and with luck would rot in that cell until the war ended, one way or another. For Ryoma, it was a blessing. One of their most formidable foes, brought down. A bartering chip if necessary, and a nuisance defeated at the very least.

But for Hinoka, the day had gone from bad to worse. As the reality of Camilla’s words sunk in, Hinoka felt like her entire being was falling apart. She had ripped off her choker and thrown it into a nearby lake, filling the night air with screamed profanities and frustrated bursts of violence. She had gone to bed early without eating, and then she had been here, alternating between fits of rage and fits of tears, the hours blurring together. This last bout of crying had lasted quite some time and Hinoka found herself nearly blacking out, unable to catch her breath well enough to inhale deeply. She pushed the pillow away from her face and gulped at the air frantically before punching the pillow, taking her frustrations out on the motionless lump of cloth and feathers. She followed up the punch by hurling the pillow across the room and pounding her futon.

She clutched her head, gasping, trying to calm herself. In the back of her mind, somewhere, she was vaguely concerned she was going to hurt herself. She could feel her nails digging into her scalp. Ryoma would yell at her if she did anything like that again, so that’s out of the question. The thought of her brother crystallized her anger, his face regal, almost mocking, flashing in her mind. She pulled at her hair, trying to purge the thoughts from her mind.


	13. Chapter 13

Camilla stared into the middle distance, frowning. She felt cross, and she couldn’t place why. It always annoyed her to not be able to determine the source of her own feelings, and this feeling worst of all. Perhaps it was just a headache.

She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up, brushing tresses of hair out of her face. “Selena?” she called.

“Yes, milady?”

Camilla saw the scarlet hair of her retainer poke in through the door. “Come here, please.”

Selena nervously opened the door. She, too, could tell that Camilla was in a bad mood. She and Beruka had spent the entire day avoiding Camilla’s wrath after hearing her chew out a guard, but now it was inevitable. She sighed.

“How can I help, milady?” she asked, bowing slightly, afraid to raise her head to look at Camilla’s face.

Camilla’s frown deepened and she curled her fingers into a fist. Selena winced, afraid she might hit her.

Camilla had only ever treated her with kindness, but in recent weeks her mood had turned sour and erratic. She would shout at soldiers, fight with her brothers, spend days alone in her chambers – chambers which were kept mysteriously locked, no entry allowed. Selena and Beruka had tried investigating, but to no avail. Their mistress, once so gentle, had turned into the very persona she sought to project – cruel, mirthless, and without mercy.

Camilla sighed. “Selena, I’m feeling restless. Would you like to come on a walk with me?”

“Of course, Lady Camilla,” Selena said politely. “Where would you like to go?”

Camilla gestured in the air nonchalantly. “Just around.”

The two departed the study and walked in silence down the stone corridors of Fort Dragonfall. Selena grimaced. It was such an unseemly place, and it always smelled damp. The towers of the fort were better – it’s where the private chambers for the generals and commanders were located, and it was much…cleaner, at least. Selena sighed. She prodded at the floor with her boot. It was really just the ground floor that was like this. The part made from a hollowed-out dragon corpse, as the men told it.

They emerged from the fort into the clean night air. Stars sparkled overhead, and only the barest wisps of pale clouds shrouded the view.

Still in silence, the two marched along the stone walls of the fort, grass and gravel crunching under their feet.

“Nice night,” Selena remarked, immediately wishing she hadn’t.

“Mmhm,” Camilla nodded.

Selena shut her mouth and the two continued in silence. It was a painful, obvious silence, the air between them thick with unspoken tension. Selena’s mind raced as she tried to think of something – anything, anything to diffuse the tenseness. Her mind kept coming up blank.

At long last, she couldn’t take it anymore. She stopped dead in her tracks.

“Lady Camilla,” she said flatly.

Camilla stopped several paces ahead without turning around. She said nothing.

“I know something’s wrong. What’s bothering you?” Selena stared at her mistress’ back. She could see underneath her decorative armor she was breathing heavily, her sturdy muscles tensing. Selena carefully approached. She placed a gentle hand on Camilla’s shoulder. “Milady?”

Camilla turned her head slowly and Selena could see a track of tears rolling down her cheek. She spoke calmly, her voice not betraying her tears.

“Selena…my dear, dear Selena.”

“I’m here, milady. Anything you need.” Selena reached a cautious arm out and touched Camilla’s side. Camilla blinked away her tears before clearing her throat.

“Selena…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I have done some…some truly awful things.”

“It’s…it’s a war, milady. We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of.”

Camilla shook her head. “I…I’m sorry. There’s something I…” her voice faltered, for perhaps the first time Selena had ever heard, and she stopped mid-sentence. “I need to go.” Camilla hurried off, her short cape fluttering behind her. In the dark night air, Selena stood, puzzled.

 

 

Hinoka cradled Camilla in her arms, gently shushing her as Camilla cried. Camilla had stifled it as long as she could, but here…here she could truly let go, unburden her aching heart. The secret guilt that ate away at her, worsened by knowing that her victim was the only person to whom she confess her sins. She bit her tongue, trying to focus on the physical pain and draw herself away from the twinge in her chest.

She pulled away from Hinoka and stared through a hazy filter of bleary eyes. She wiped her face and stared. Hinoka’s slender body was pale in the moonlight that streamed through the open curtains. She could see traces of pink scars along her body, between her thighs, along her breasts, her stomach, her arms. Even one tracing her jawline. She was thin, her ribs almost poking through her translucent skin, starved of sunlight. Other scars, older ones, one that Camilla wasn’t responsible for, dotted her arms and legs. Camilla choked back another bout of tears.

“Hinoka, I…” she closed her eyes. “What have I done to you?”

Hinoka stared back, uncertain of how to respond. She was wide-eyed and attentive, wary but still wholly trusting. Even after all this, she trusted. Camilla had no doubt in her mind that, if she asked, Hinoka would climb through that window and plunge to her demise. For a second, Camilla considered it – being done with this whole nasty business, and perhaps following suit herself.

Hinoka leaned forward and embraced Camilla, gently kissing her neck, her jaw, her tear-stained cheek. She clutched at Camilla, her thin arms clinging tightly. Camilla smiled at her through her tears.


	14. Chapter 14

Hinoka gripped the cold iron bars of the cell and pressed her face forward as if she was trying to shove herself through the bars. She knew her face was trembling, her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. It had been two days before she finally broke and willed herself to visit Camilla in her cell. The crying was still on-and-off but she managed to pull herself together a few times. She was dimly aware of her stomach aching, hungry. She licked her lips, chapped from dehydration, and looked into the dark cell.

She had spent most of the day planning on what she was going to say. What words she could possibly use. More than that – what she wanted. In the end, her planning didn’t matter at all, because when she reached Camilla’s cell, she spluttered out a single word.

“P-please,” she said, feeling tears flooding her eyes.

Camilla sat up with a start. “Hinoka?” she asked, brushing her hair back and trying her best to tidy up her ragged prisoner’s garb.

Hinoka stared at her. Even now – tired, dirty, clad in plain brown clothing, Camilla still looked gorgeous. Her hair was disheveled and messy – no doubt used to a daily washing and styling. Hinoka reached her arm through the bars, reaching out for Camilla.

“Please, just…t-touch me, please,” Hinoka begged quietly, squeezing her eyes.

Camilla smiled and nodded slowly. “Of course, dear.” She got up from her cot and walked across the cell, taking Hinoka’s hand in her own and bringing it to her cheek.

Hinoka smiled through her tears, rejoicing as her fingers brushed Camilla’s cheek, tracing her jaw. Camilla stepped closer to the metal bars, reaching her own hand through and caressing Hinoka’s face.

“What are you doing here?” Camilla asked. She brushed a thumb over Hinoka’s lips, pausing as the distraught girl kissed her fingers.

“I-I came to see you,” Hinoka confessed, finally stymying her tears. “I n-needed to.”

“Why?” Camilla drew her hand back.

“I…I need you,” Hinoka leaned her head down guiltily, pressing the top of her head against the bars. She sighed as Camilla reached a gentle hand across and stroked her hair. “Please, Camilla.”

Camilla smiled at Hinoka tenderly.

“I…I know you said you didn’t love me, but…I…” Hinoka looked up into her eyes, pleading. “I’d do anything for you, Camilla. I’d die for you. Just…please…even if you don’t love me, let me be with you.”

“Anything?” Camilla asked softly.

“Of course,” Hinoka stuttered eagerly. “A-anything.”

Camilla gave a wry smile, the gears of her mind whirring behind her stolid face. The pieces were indeed falling into place, more or less as she had predicted they would. Poor, poor, Hinoka. Camilla reached through the bars and grasped Hinoka’s hand.

“My dear Hinoka…” Camilla trailed off. “Do you really want me to love you?”

Hinoka nodded, quivering.

“If you do this one thing for me, then I promise I will love you to the end of your days.”

Hinoka nodded again, trying to appear confident.

“I need you to kill Ryoma.”

Hinoka’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “I-I-I-I-“

Camilla watched her struggle to speak. “You what?” she said, cutting off the pitiful string of syllables. “You can’t do it?” She caressed Hinoka’s cheek. “What has he ever done for you?”

Hinoka could feel herself calming down in Camilla’s grasp. Her hands felt cool and soothing on her flushed cheek. “He’s my brother,” she said meekly.

“And you think that means anything? _Brother_?” Camilla asked. “Think, Hinoka. Think about what he’s done to you. Do you really think he loves you?”

Hinoka shook her head. “H-he does,” she closed her eyes and shook her head again.

“Then why did he never send a rescue mission to fetch you when you had been captured?” Camilla asked earnestly. “If he cared, wouldn’t he have dropped everything to rescue you?”

“He-“ Hinoka tried to rebut.

“And when you were finally rescued – not by him, mind you, nor his subordinates, but by your own. And not even by his orders. When you came back, what does he do? He demotes you and takes you out of the war, makes you sit by the sidelines. To be perfectly honest, he was probably just glad to have you out of the way. Your coming back probably ruined all his plans.”

“N-no,” Hinoka shook her head. “He’s right, I-I-I-“

“I-I-I-I,” Camilla snapped back at her mockingly. “You what? You know it’s the truth. You bicker and fight with him, and now…you’re here against his orders, are you not? Even now, he refuses to let you partake in your own success, a decisive tactical victory that could alter the course of the war. He steals the glory for my capture and refuses to let you even speak to me.”

Hinoka felt the tears coming again. She sat down in the dirt, leaning against the bars, her back to Camilla. She clamped her arms around her head and tried to shut out Camilla’s words.

Camilla knelt behind her and reached through the bars and began gently massaging Hinoka’s shoulders. “Shhh,” she whispered calmly. “Listen to me, Hinoka. Listen. Are you listening?”

Hinoka nodded.

“You want this war to end, don’t you? You want the fighting to stop?”

Hinoka nodded again.

“One death. That’s all I ask. One more, and the fighting will end. As the Queen of Hoshido, you can put a stop to the fighting.” She dropped her voice into a whisper. “Together, Hinoka. We can finally be together.”

“Y-you said-“ Hinoka sniffled.

“I know what I said,” Camilla was calm, her voice measured, each word weighed and chosen with care. “It’s wartime politics, you know. But…do this, Hinoka, and we will be free to love each other. I _will_ love you. We can spend the rest of our days together, in peace.”

Hinoka’s breath was slow and labored.

“And it’s not just for you and I,” Camilla continued. “This war is a product of your brother’s stubbornness and pride. If it weren’t for him, I know for a fact this war would be going very differently. Think of all the lives you could save.”

Hinoka nodded slightly, still trembling.

“You’d be doing the right thing.”

“The right thing,” Hinoka parroted back, quietly and contemplatively.

“One life…for a life of peace for the rest of us.”

“I-if they know that I did it, though…”

Camilla shushed her. “I know a few Nohrians who would be willing to take the fall for you. And besides, as queen, wouldn’t you have the power to pardon such deeds? They would take the blame, but no harm would befall even them. One life is all I ask.”

Hinoka stared into the dirt floor. In her mind, the swirls of dust and dirt formed shapes, faces. _A life of peace._ She felt tired. Oh, so very tired.


	15. Chapter 15

Ryoma dragged a metal sheath roughly along the bars, the loud clattering sound startling Camilla from her routine. She had been doing pushups, her breathing steady and even. Before interrupting her, Ryoma listened to her voice, softly counting out repetitions. She was in the low hundreds, and from what he could tell, she hadn’t even broken a sweat. She stopped mid-rep and jolted her head upright to see the source of the noise. She frowned and got to her feet.

“Lady Camilla,” Ryoma said flatly, his voice the portrait of the detached politeness the Hoshidans were known for.

“Lord… _King_ Ryoma,” Camilla corrected herself, bowing deeply. Almost too deeply, Ryoma noted. Mocking.

“Not yet,” he shook his head. “We don’t hold coronation ceremonies during wartime.”

“Ah,” Camilla nodded. “My mistake. What can I help you with, then, _Prince_ Ryoma?” she smiled sweetly. She leaned forward against the bars, her voice low and sultry. “Are you here to discuss the terms of my release?”

“Release?” Ryoma asked, surprised. He laughed, a clear and genuine laugh of amusement. “Ah, yes. The conditions for your release are…well, the war ending.”

“What?” Camilla frowned. “I-“

“You’re an enemy combatant. Your status as princess has no bearing on your treatment. You will be clothed, fed, bathed, and treated as we treat all our prisoners. And when the war ends, you will be free to go.”

 Camilla’s brow furrowed. “You can’t possibly keep me in a place like this.”

“I can, and I will,” Ryoma said, rapping the metal sheath of his sword – not the heirloom sword of the royal family, Camilla noted – against the bars again, causing Camilla to flinch and take a step back. She glared.

“I’ve seen the damage you can do on the battlefield,” Ryoma continued, pacing back and forth in front of Camilla’s cell. “Countless lives lost to you. What makes you think I would ever risk letting you back into the war?”

Camilla pouted but said nothing.

“But there is the matter of my sister.”

Camilla leaned forward again, pressing her face up close to the bars. She grinned, a toothy smile, polite but betraying dark intentions.

“ I _have_ always been fond of redheads,” Camilla confessed almost dreamily. “I’m sure our mutually beloved Corrin has something to do with that, of course.” She began eyeing up his body, smirking. “Pity I’m not into men – at least, not men that remind me of my father.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Domineering, controlling, stern…” Camilla listed off, nonchalantly picking at her fingernails. They had been painted before her capture, but now the paint was chipping off. “Quick to anger…obsessed with honor and duty…you know the type.” She looked him in the eyes again. “I’m much more into rather…submissive partn-”

Ryoma lunged quickly, thrusting his hand through the bars. He wrapped a hand around Camilla’s neck and pulled, smashing her face into the bars. She grunted in surprise and pain. Ryoma stepped closer, pressing his face up against Camilla’s, nearly touching their noses together.

“I don’t know what you did to her,” Ryoma whispered angrily, snarling. “But I swear to you, you will never touch her again. You will never speak to her again. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Camilla choked out. Ryoma released his grasp and Camilla gasped, sucking in air. She clutched the bars to support herself and watched as Ryoma stormed out of the dungeon.


	16. Chapter 16

“NO! DON’T TOUCH ME!” Hinoka screamed, writhing. She stumbled backwards and huddled in the corner of the Camilla’s bedroom, the very portrait of a cornered animal.

“Shhh!” Oboro hissed at her, pressing a finger to her lips. “Be quiet! Do you want the guards to hear?”

“HELP!” Hinoka shouted again, trying to press herself back into the wall. “CAMILLA, HELP ME!”

“Lady Hinoka, it’s us!” whispered Subaki, taking a cautious step towards her. “Don’t you recognize us?”

“Help!” Hinoka cried, softer this time. “Someone, please!”

Subaki and Oboro shot each other puzzled glances.

“Get her some clothes,” Oboro commanded. “I’ll grab her and we’ll meet up with Setsuna.” Subaki nodded and dashed out the unlocked door. Oboro stood in Camilla’s private chambers, staring at Hinoka’s naked, shivering form. She shook her head and lunged towards Hinoka, grappling with her. She stifled another cry for help, clamping her hand down on Hinoka’s mouth.

“Mmph!” came Hinoka’s muffled shout.

Oboro wrapped her arms around Hinoka, gently but firmly, locking her in a sleeper hold. Hinoka squirmed but her weak body was no match for Oboro’s strong grip. Her eyes, wild with fear, darted around the room. Oboro whispered to her softly.

“Shhh,” she kept one hand firmly on Hinoka’s mouth but let the other stroke her hair. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. We’re here for you.”

Hinoka’s struggling slowed. Oboro watched as her chest heaved. “I’m going to let you go now, okay?” She released her grip and Hinoka dropped to her knees, gasping for breath.

“We’re here to rescue you,” Oboro explained patiently. “We’re going to get you out.”

Hinoka shook her head. “N-no,” she protested. “I don’t want to leave.”

“What?” Oboro could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Don’t you know where you are?”

“I want to stay here with Camilla,” Hinoka said again, defiantly. “I’m not going.”

“Gods,” Oboro rolled her eyes, frustrated. Subaki returned, a bundle of Nohrian clothes in his arms. She shook her head at him as he walked in. “This is going to be rough.”

“No! I’m not going!” Hinoka protested as the two worked quickly to dress herself against her will. “Let me go! Stop!”

She struggled a bit before accepting that it was fruitless – her own body, starved of nutrition and exercise, quickly tired. She lay still and panting as they pulled on a simple tunic and plain brown trousers.

“Look,” Oboro said, gesturing at Hinoka’s ankles. There were dark red scars cut into the tendons at the back of her feet. “I don’t know if she’ll even be able to walk.”

Subaki whistled. “That’ll take some serious magic to heal. I guess I can carry her out for now.”

Oboro nodded. “We need to get moving.”

Subaki picked up Hinoka, who was still shaking her head and mumbling. She lay on his back, her arms draped loosely over his shoulders, her head buried in his hair. He strengthened his grip on her legs and stood up, testing the weight.

“Gods, she’s light,” he whispered.

The two exited Camilla’s quarters into the dark towers of Fort Dragonfall. Oboro took the lead, naginata in hand. As they traveled down the stairs, they passed heaps of armor in pools of blood. Hinoka squinted, failing to realize that they were dead guards. Seeing the bodies reignited her panic and she resumed her flailing, trying to wrench herself from Subaki’s grip. Her breathing was quick and shallow, nearly hyperventilation, but she didn’t scream.

“I don’t want to go,” she repeated quietly. “Don’t take me away from her.”

Oboro and Subaki looked at each other nervously.

“Hey, there they are!” came a shout. The two turned and saw a cluster of armed Nohrians barreling down the hallway towards them. Oboro stepped forward and grimaced.

“Here we go.”

She darted forward, slicing her naginata at the knees of the first soldier, who stumbled back and fell to the floor groaning. She followed up with a vertical upwards slice, the tip of her weapon slicing through a second soldier’s doublet like butter. _No armor…_ she thought. _They must be just sending out whoever is here_.

A third soldier attacked, thrusting the point of a sword at her. She tried to knock the blade away with her own weapon but he faked her out and lunged. She rolled, narrowly avoiding a stab to the abdomen, but as it was the blade sliced through the edge of her clothing.

“Hey!” she snarled. “This was expensive!” she grabbed his still-outstretched arm and yanked hard, pulling him forward into a headbutt. She followed up with a swift kick to the stomach which sent him sprawling.

She turned to see the last soldier of the group standing over her, weapon poised and ready to come down, but instead of attacking he stood still.

It was then that Oboro noticed the arrow protruding from his back.

“Sorry for being late,” Setsuna said sleepily, pushing the guard to the ground. “I got my boot caught in a mousetrap…”

“It’s fine,” Oboro said, smiling. “Let’s get out of here.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Father, I-“ Camilla stammered, trying to remain confident.

“Silence!” King Garon roared, slamming a fist on the armrest of his chair. “You will speak only when addressed!”

Camilla nodded silently.

“Now…tell me what happened.” Garon glared angrily. He had not taken the recent losses on the Hoshidan border well, nor had he the news that Corrin was still missing.

“They had the kitsune on their side, father,” Camilla said. “We hadn’t been prepared for such an ambush and had to retreat.”

“Retreat?!”

Camilla winced. “We didn’t have the manpower to battle the combined might of the Hoshidan army and the kitsune.”

“Perhaps manpower wasn’t the issue, but leadership,” Garon grimaced. “Your brother has had no trouble holding the border with just his small garrison of men, and yet you, with the full backing of our wyvern corps, fail to take even a measly hamlet!”

It was going to be one of those days, Camilla realized, resigned to her fate.

“You’ve proven yourself to be a strong warrior, true, but you are nothing but an incompetent failure when it comes to strategy. Even your strength is meaningless without discipline, of which you have none.”

“I’m sorry, father.”

“We cannot tolerate failure!” Garon slammed his fist down again. “You inept dullard! Don’t you see what this setback will cost us?!”

Camilla clenched her fist but remained silent.

“Useless, that’s what you are. A disgrace to the royal family, to your brothers, and your kingdom! Even your little brother has managed to whip his dark knights into enough shape to fight, and yet you fail at every turn. Perhaps if you spent less time on your knees like a common whore and more time studying strategy, you could actually provide even an ounce of worth to this kingdom.”

Camilla nodded. Her head pounded as the words danced around it.

“Incompetent,” Garon repeated. “A damned fool, and a damned waste of my time. I came all the way out here to check on the war effort, and I find nothing but idiocy and ineptitude. If you had even an ounce of the skill of your brother, you’d probably manage at least some inkling of victory.”

 

 

“Incompetent!” Camilla repeated, pounding her fist. “An idiot!” She landed blow after blow on Hinoka’s face. She whimpered, buckling under the assault. “I hate you!” Camilla roared, one hand on Hinoka’s bare shoulder and the other clenched in a bloody fist. She landed one more punch before hurling Hinoka to the ground and kicking at her stomach.

“You whore! You useless piece of shit!” Her heavy black boots left dark imprints on Hinoka’s pale skin. She stared down at her victim, watching Hinoka clutch her stomach in pain. Hinoka trembled, whimpering softly.

“Get up!” Camilla shouted, kicking again. Hinoka struggled to her knees only for Camilla to knock her down again. “I said get up! Can’t you do anything right?!” Hinoka groaned and tried climbing to her feet again.

“I hate you!” Camilla hit her yet again. Hinoka doubled over, coughing weakly, blood dripping from her split lip. “I’ll show you incompetent!” Her kicking only slowed when she realized Hinoka was barely moving. She was curled into a fetal position, quivering but not crying. Camilla frowned, angry at her father, at her captive, at herself. She gave one last swift kick to Hinoka’s back before storming out of the room.

 

 

Camilla stroked Hinoka’s hair softly, diligently working out tangled knots. Hinoka looked tired. Her face was bruised and a few cuts were still visible, though Camilla had cleaned and dressed most of her wounds. Now she seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Hinoka,” Camilla said suddenly.

Hinoka’s eyes lit up and she looked up into Camilla’s face.

“You know…” Camilla continued smoothing out her hair but looked off into the room, not looking at Hinoka. “You know I don’t mean the things I say to you, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I…call you names and insult you. You know I don’t mean that.”

“Of course,” Hinoka nodded, nestling her head into Camilla’s shoulder. “I know that.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel like I don’t care about you,” Camilla continued. She worked her hand through Hinoka’s hair and down to the back of her neck, which she began massaging.

“I love you too,” Hinoka murmured, half-asleep. Camilla stroked her hair and stared off, her mind turning.


	18. Chapter 18

Hinoka stood in the hallway outside the study, sucking in deep breaths. Her grip on the knife was loose, her hands shaky, her vision unfocused. She leaned against the wall and tried to steady herself. She blinked, trying to force her eyes to work properly again. Her head throbbed. She could hear a shuffling of papers and the scratching of a pen on parchment in the room within. She doubled her grip on the knife.

She tried not to think about what she was doing. Automatic motions. She had been trained since she was a child for this. Combat is combat, no matter the target. She clenched her teeth, a vision of sparring with Ryoma flashing into her mind.

_No…_

She trembled. The vision was scattered and distant, but almost seemed more real than the surroundings swimming around her head. She grasped bits and pieces of the moment. A sunny summer day. Long before the war, before the long years of training, before her role as warrior princess. Practice with wooden staffs. Sakura bringing them cold water. Sparring. The clash of wood on wood. The snap of the wooden staff on bare skin. Her legs being swept out from underneath her, the heavy collision of her skull with the dirt. Ryoma’s laugh, clear, mocking.

Mocking.

The scene warped. He tripped her, a backhanded move, and then laughed. She lay on the ground, in pain, as her brother laughed. She felt the anger bubbling up inside her. The sky wasn’t blue now, but dark and roiling. Stormclouds gathered in the distance. She got to her feet and lunged. Again, with swiftness, Ryoma had dispatched her, and again she lay on her back in the dirt. A third time, too. She remembered crying, and Ryoma’s remarks that a child her age wasn’t old enough to fight anyway.

_Camilla’s right_. She bit her lip and tasted copper. All her life he had been a shadow cast upon her. His image, proud and regal, making her own rough-and-tumble attitude seem so childish in comparison. Even mother had liked him better. And Queen Mikoto as well. Takumi, as hot-headed and temperamental as he was, was often the center of attention and care. Mikoto had always made sure not to forget meek little Sakura, too. But Hinoka…the middle child. Too young to be groomed for the throne, too old to be doted on and cared for. Old enough to fend for herself, even before she really was.

She thought back to her childhood spent largely alone, and she felt angry tears welling up. Her head pounded.

“Hinoka?”

A voice snapped her back to reality, the swarming visions dissipating like mist. She dropped her knife and fell backwards, stumbling against the wall. She scrambled for the weapon and looked up as her hand blindly swept the floor around her.

It was Sakura, her soft footfalls barely making a sound. She clutched a stave to her chest.

“B-big sister, it’s me!” she said softly. “Are you okay?”

Hinoka hurried to slip the knife under her clothes. In the dim light of the hallway, Sakura probably hadn’t seen anything. Probably.

“I-I’m alright,” Hinoka said, nodding. “You just startled me, is all.” She felt sick to her stomach.

“What are you doing outside big brother’s study?”

“I needed to talk to him about something,” Hinoka said, climbing to her feet. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Sakura admitted. “I haven’t seen you in a while, and when I went looking, Hinata said he had seen you headed this way...” She wrung the wooden handle of the staff nervously. “He said you looked pretty upset.”

Hinoka nodded. “I haven’t been feeling well.”

“D-do you want me to take a look? I think I have some medicine that might help.”

Hinoka shrugged. “I don’t thi-“

Sakura cut her off, throwing her arms around her and squeezing tightly. “I’m worried about you, big sister,” she whispered.

Hinoka sniffled and tried to blink back tears. _No! Not now!_

“Are you crying?” Sakura said, looking up without letting go of her ironclad embrace. She was surprisingly strong for such a little girl.

“No,” Hinoka lied.


	19. Chapter 19

Hinoka stared at the cup of steaming tea Sakura had set before her. She felt a chill, the night breeze drifting through the window and making her damp hair feel cool. She was dressed plainly in a comfortable evening yukata. A white towel was draped around her neck, catching the droplets of water from her hair. Sakura had forced her to take a bath, and forced her to have a hot meal. She admitted to herself that she did feel better, but the creature comforts didn’t soothe her aching chest.

“You haven’t touched your tea,” Sakura said meekly, sitting cross-legged across the table. “It’ll make you feel better, I promise. It’s a special blend that I mixed together.”

Hinoka cautiously reached out, eyes fixed on her hand, wary that lost focus meant a broken cup and spilt tea.

She pressed her lips to the porcelain cup slowly and deliberately. The tea tasted warm and soothing. Even the aroma of it, drifting in wispy tendrils of steam around her head, relaxed her muscles. She took a long drink.

“Are you feeling better?” Sakura asked.

“Yeah, thanks,” Hinoka nodded.

“Um…may I be forward about something?”

“Of course,” Hinoka said. She could feel her strength returning, bit by bit.

“Did Lady Camilla give you that necklace you were wearing?”

“Huh?” Hinoka gave her a puzzled look. 

“I-I noticed you haven’t been wearing it since we captured her. And that’s when you started acting all weird. Does Lady Camilla have something to do with it?”

Hinoka nodded and smiled. “Not a lot slips past you, does it?”

“Is that why you’ve been so upset?”

Hinoka paused, and for a long while nothing but the cool night air passed between them.

“Sakura,” Hinoka began nervously. “Do you think it’s okay to hurt people if it means helping others?”

“No,” Sakura said almost immediately. “Sometimes you have to, but I don’t think it’s ever okay.”

“How do you know when you have to?”

“W-when you’ve tried everything else,” Sakura sipped her tea. “You should always try to solve things peacefully.”

Hinoka pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. “What if…what if having the element of surprise is key? That if you tried any other route you’d lose your opportunity?”

“That’s being deceitful, I think.” Sakura looked at Hinoka for a long time. “I think the important thing is that you be true to yourself. Being good is what matters, even when you have to accept the consequences of that. You’ve said it before, haven’t you? That you don’t want to fight Kamui when she comes back, even if all the other options are harder.”

“I think you might be right.”

“What’s this all about?”

“It’s nothing,” Hinoka murmured. “Thank you for the tea.” She got up quickly to leave. As she reached out to open the door she felt a tug. Sakura had grabbed onto her sleeve. Hinoka saw that there were tears in her eyes.

“P-please,” she stammered. “I’m so worried about you, big sister. Y-you can talk to me about a-anything.”

Hinoka felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She wrapped her arms around Sakura.

“I love you more than anything,” Sakura mumbled into her torso. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Hinoka nodded. “I…I don’t…Sakura, I don’t know what to do,” she said, her own eyes brimming. She swallowed and squeezed Sakura tightly.

“It’s about Camilla, right?” Sakura asked again once the two had calmed down and sat at the table again. “You went and saw her in her cell.”

Hinoka nodded and wiped her eyes. “Yeah.”

“Big brother was talking about that. He was pretty upset that you disobeyed his orders.”

“I know.”

“What happened with Camilla, though? I thought you were enemies?”

Hinoka shrugged. “I…I don’t know what we are. She made me an offer…a really tempting one, if I was being honest with myself.”

Sakura said nothing and waited patiently for Hinoka to continue.

“She said…if I did something for her she would love me. That she would give up the fight, and the war would be over, and we could be together. But that would require a pretty terrible deed for my part.”

Sakura nodded silently.

“I…I just don’t know what to do. What she was saying made sense, but…there has to be another way.”

“I won’t ask what she asked you to do,” Sakura said politely. “But I don’t think you should do it. For one, she’s the enemy. But…if you really want her love, don’t you want it to be genuine? If she only loves you because you did this thing for her, that’s…” Sakura searched through her brain for the right word.

“Conditional,” Hinoka suggested.

Sakura nodded. “Yeah. That’s bad for both of you, since it means she doesn’t really love you, and you’d have to know that you’re practically forcing her into the relationship. If you do this thing, she’s required to hold up her end of the deal. Does that make sense?”

Hinoka shrugged. “As much as anything else, I guess. But…the promise of ending the war…”

Sakura frowned. “I don’t know a lot about military stuff, but…I don’t think there’s a such thing as a quick fix. Wars don’t end on the actions of individuals.”

“Not even kings?”

“No. Do you think Nohr would stop fighting if King Garon died?”

Hinoka put her face in her hands. “I think you might be right,” came her muffled voice.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sakura was behind her now and hugged her. “Just know that I will always love you. Ryoma and Takumi and Kamui, too. We all love you so much and just want you to be safe and happy. Your family will always be here for you. And that’s real love, love that doesn’t require you to do what you know is wrong.

Hinoka smiled but said nothing, knowing words would just make the tears come faster. She embraced Sakura. “I love you, too.”


	20. Chapter 20

Hinoka strode towards the dungeon confidently, ring of keys in her hand. She felt almost alive again – bathed, fed, dressed, rested…she actually felt human. With the clarity of mind afforded by this, she approached Camilla’s holdings with self-assurance. Apprehension nipped at her heels, and it took all her strength to try and keep that feeling at bay. Sakura’s words had touched her, and she knew what she had to do now.

She was dressed once again in her standard gear, no longer content to wallow in her sadness clad is nothing but casual clothing. As she crossed the camp grounds, she tried humming to herself. It felt strange and awkward, and she quickly gave up on that endeavor. The sky overhead rumbled with distant storms, but overhead the air was clear and bright. It was going to be a good day, she thought with determination.

She approached the cell in which Camilla was soundly sleeping. She knocked on the bars.

Camilla roused from her slumber quickly, almost instantly at attention. “Hinoka!” she hissed, surprised.

“Good morning, Camilla,” she said brightly. “Have the guards brought you breakfast yet?”

“I’m not supposed to speak with you,” Camilla said sourly. “Your brother, in his infinite wisdom, put a stop to that.”

Hinoka bit her lip and nodded. “Okay.” She sifted through the ring of keys until she found the right one. “I’m going to lay all my cards on the table, to use the Nohrian expression,” she said, watching as Camilla brushed out her hair with her fingers.

“I love you, Camilla,” Hinoka continued. Camilla gave her an odd look. The statement sounded different, somehow. Not full of fear, or anxiety, or anger. Just a declaration of fact.

“I love you,” she repeated. “I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I…I don’t know if you _are_ capable of love, but I wish with all my heart that you could love me back. If not, that’s….” she took a deep breath. “That’s okay. Your love is yours to give as you see fit to whomever you wish. It is not mine to claim.”

Camilla smiled, entertained, interested to see where this was going.

“I…I love a lot of things. I love my pegasus, and I love flying, and I love taking morning jogs, and I love my country. I love you, Camilla. But I also love my family.”

Camilla’s smile inverted.

“I cannot do what you asked me to.” Hinoka unlocked the cell door. “I want you to leave. I want you to go home, back to Nohr, and I want you to never think that you could turn me against my own family ever again.” She pushed the cell door open. “After this is all over…perhaps we can see.” She smiled meekly, looking up at Camilla’s stern face.

“Maybe…maybe we can be together. For real.”

Camilla sighed. “You have to make everything much more complicated that it needs to be, don’t you?”

Hinoka smiled broadly, the awkward, toothy grin of someone holding back a giggle. “My brother says that, too.”

Camilla’s face darkened. “If you had just listened to what I told you to do and done your damned job!” she grabbed Hinoka’s shoulder and shoved her back into the cell, crashing her face against the hard stone wall. “This could have been over!” Another swift kick to Hinoka’s head sent her sprawling to the floor. She collapsed in the cell, vision fading to black as she watched Camilla storm out the door. She could hear Camilla’s words distantly.

“I have to do everything my damn self.”


	21. Chapter 21

Hinoka rolled over and groaned. Her stomach hurt and her head felt sore. She blinked and touched a hand to her forehead, which had a ribbon of dried blood crusted to it. She swore and climbed to her feet.

She was still in the cell, the door swinging on its hinges. _What had happened…?_

She rubbed her temples. Her head ached. _Oh. Oh gods_. She remembered. _Camilla._

As she darted out of the cell and down the dungeon hallways, she could hear the distant sound of fighting. Shouting, clashing metal, cries and screams. The whinnying of horses. She could smell smoke. Each turn that brought her closer to the exit made the sensations stronger, the cries louder and the smells more apparent. At the entrance to the dungeon she saw several Hoshidan soldiers huddled by the door, barricading themselves in.

“Daichi!” she said, recognizing one of the men. “What’s happening?”

“Lady Hinoka!” he turned, startled. “How did you get here?”

“That’s not important right now. I need to know what’s going on!”

“It’s the Nohrians!” Daichi shouted, wiping sweat from his brow. “Somehow they got in through the side gate, which is usually barricaded. They’ve been pouring into the camp all morning!”

Hinoka felt her stomach drop. _Camilla_. She swore again, cursing herself. “Can you lift the barricade and let me out?”

The soldiers looked at her with surprise. “I wouldn’t,” said a woman Hinoka couldn’t quite name. _Taka…Taka-something._ “It’s a bloodbath out there.”

Hinoka shook her head. “I don’t care. I need to go.”

The soldiers shrugged and lifted their barricade enough for Hinoka to slip out.

The scene was one of total carnage. The camp was a simple one, a grassy field encircled with a stone wall, facilities dotting the landscape. Now, though, the various buildings were burning, thick pillars of smoke stretching up into the sky, the smell of burning oil heavy in the air.

On the ground, the combat was fierce, Hoshidan swordsmen facing off against dozens and dozens of faceless. In the sky, several wyverns were in pitched combat with a squadron of pegasus knights. She recognized Subaki as he traded blows with a blue-haired Nohrian flier. She surveyed the battlefield desperately, looking for something to focus on. She ran forward and grasped a naginata, pulling it from a faceless corpse that was surrounded by a few dead soldiers. _How long have I been out?_

As she ran, she dodged past fighting soldiers and mounted units, weaving through the chaos of the camp. She barely dodged a swiping faceless and ducked between two horsemen, swinging her naginata as she ran. An arrow nicked her shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood. She swore again.

Finally, she crested a hill, passing by several canvas tents, and saw them.

Camilla, no longer astride a wyvern but clad once again in her thick black battle armor, stood alone overtop a figure. She had her boot pressed against her victim’s chest. Her face was one of malice and joy, a twisted visage of sardonic glee. She hadn’t even bothered with a helmet it seemed, so assured in her victory was she. She held her axe aloft.

The world slowed. Hinoka stared up at them, the bright sun glaring in her eyes, almost blinding. She saw the figure on the ground turn to face her, and she recognized the face of her brother, heir to the throne, the crown prince of Hoshido. Ryoma wasn’t looking at her but was looking towards her, his hand groping wildly in the grass for his sword.

Hinoka heard herself cry _NO!_ but her voice echoed in her head, slow and faint. She tried to run towards the two but her legs felt like they moved through molasses. The sunlight glinted off Camilla’s axe. Already its silver surface was decorated in rivulets of red. How many men had she killed already?

_This is my fault_ , Hinoka thought, eyes wide with horror. She felt herself running, screaming, crying, protesting. But inside, she was silent, knowing that she did this. Camilla turned to face her, smiling. And with the brightest smile, as if nothing in the world could give her comparable joy, she brought the axe crashing down on Ryoma’s chest.

Hinoka, too, came crashing down to reality. The world, once in slow motion, a frozen portrait of early-afternoon beauty, became a firestorm of chaos and misery. She smelled the blood and fire, heard the cries of the dead and dying on both sides. The wailing of wyverns and the crackling of magic.

Above all, she heard the laughter. The cackling glee as Camilla brought her axe down again and again and again, showers of blood spraying up at her. She reveled in it with orgasmic joy, laughing and smiling, painting herself with a deep crimson. She was lost in her own world, oblivious to Hinoka’s cries, oblivious to all but the thrill of violence and the rain of blood.

Of all the emotions Hinoka felt, anger won out. She clutched her naginata and charged. She thrust, driving the blade into Camilla’s abdomen. It glanced off her armor harmlessly, serving only to interrupt Camilla’s revelry. Camilla turned to see her, face stained red, eyes wild and mouth twisted into a joyful sneer.

Camilla tried to speak but Hinoka didn’t let her, immediately following up with another attack. Camilla deflected it with her axe, her smile melting as she realized what was happening. Hinoka roared, a third attack slicing into Camilla’s leg and drawing blood. Camilla swore and swung her axe into Hinoka, who barely caught he blow. As it was she was sent sprawling to the dirt. Camilla chopped at her like so much firewood. Hinoka rolled but still caught a blow to the arm, the axe blade embedding itself in her skin. She screamed and writhed.

Camilla roughly pulled the blade out, bringing with it a portion of flesh. Hinoka screamed again. Camilla swung down the axe again, determination behind the attack. Hinoka rolled, wincing as the pressed her wounded arm into the ground. She staggered to her feet, trying to run away and regain her composition. She felt the axe nip into her leg as she ran and she fell again. She clawed through the dirt, dimly aware of how this echoed their first encounter. Camilla grasped her ankle and dragged her back.

Hinoka kicked with all her might, her boot landing squarely on Camilla’ stomach. She grunted and dropped Hinoka. Hinoka took the opportunity to stand up and brace herself. She lunged and sliced Camilla’s arm, slipping the naginata blade between the segmented armor plates. Camilla growled and dropped her axe. For a moment the two paused, staring at each other. Then Camilla punched Hinoka, her heavy black gauntlet like a brick to the face. Hinoka heard a crunch and felt blood flowing from her nose. She thrust again, this time embedding the naginata in Camilla’s shoulder. Unfazed, Camilla reached up and gripped the end of the naginata. She clutched the wooden pole in her fist and snapped it off before pulling the blade out of her shoulder and dropping it to the ground.

The two stared at each other, heaving, wounded, bloody and exhausted. Camilla opened her mouth to speak but Hinoka punched her, one hand on her shoulder and the other raining fists against her. She wordlessly hit her, again and again, knocking her to the ground. She pinned Camilla down and wrapped her hands around her neck, squeezing with all her might.

Camilla choked, trying to breathe, blood sputtering from her mouth. She felt through the grass around her, feeling for something to use as a weapon.

Hinoka, focusing all her energy on strangulation, felt a blast of pain to the side of her head as Camilla brought a half-broken brick against her skull. She moaned and clutched her head, which allowed Camilla to roll her off. She mounted Hinoka and raised the brick again to attack. Hinoka anticipated this and raised her hands to block.

Camilla smashed the brick into her hands and Hinoka cried out, knowing that she probably just lost the usefulness of several fingers. She reached around her, looking for something to help her. As she turned her face she saw him.

Ryoma lay in the grass, his still face still stained with blood, his arm reaching out towards her. She reached out to him, feeling tears unconsciously coming. Her fingertips brushed his. Then she remembered. _Raijinto_.

With herculean effort, she shoved Camilla off and scrambled through the grass on her knees. She scrabbled and sifted. Camilla stood up behind her and kicked, a heavy boot flattening Hinoka to the ground. She took the opportunity to pick up her axe again and Hinoka rolled, just barely avoiding a blow. She spied a hilt and grabbed it.

Hinoka held the blade up to block the next blow. She watched as the sword crackled to life, electric sparks dancing along its length. Camilla’s axe collided with it and bounced back with a blast of energy, sending Camilla stumbling back several feet. Hinoka stood and wiped blood from her mouth with the side of her hand. Eyes fierce with righteous anger, she stared Camilla down. She lifted the Raijinto and pointed it at Camilla in defiant challenge.

Camilla smirked. The two dueled, blows bouncing off each other’s weapons in a frantic display of desperation. Exhaustion was setting in for the both of them, their moves sluggish and weak, their deflections token. Their wounds and blood loss were certainly taking their toll.

At last Hinoka caught the tip of Camilla’s axe with her blade and pried it free, sending it scattering across the ground. Camilla, defenseless, watched it go.

Hinoka yelled, a throaty roar building within her as she charged. With both hands she thrusted, slipping the katana’s blade between the plates of armor protecting Camilla’s abdomen. She felt as the blade slid effortlessly into flesh, the rippling bolts of magic carrying through the blade and sparking across Camilla’s armor.

Camilla gasped.

Hinoka stared up at her, both hands wrapped around the hilt, now pushed up against Camilla’s stomach. The two women were close together, close enough to smell each other. Hinoka trembled, uncertain and afraid.

Camilla coughed and opened her mouth, a cascade of blood flowing from her lips down her chin, splattering her plate armor. She was trying to say something but nothing would come out but rasping. She clutched at Hinoka helplessly, her hands weak and unsteady. Hinoka, helpless to react, tasted blood as Camilla pressed their lips together. She swallowed the blood Camilla was pouring into her mouth, intentionally or not. Camilla closed her eyes as she kissed Hinoka one last time. She pulled back. “T-thank y-“

Hinoka clenched her teeth and with heroic strength withdrew the blade, a fountain erupting from Camilla’s body. Hinoka watched as Camilla crumpled to her knees, blood pooling around her in a thick puddle. She knelt in the mire before Camilla’s body, knowing Camilla’s blood was showering her, staining her once-white clothes a dark crimson. With one last gasp Camilla grasped the back of Hinoka’s head and pulled her close. The two knelt together, face to face in the blood-stained dirt, foreheads pressed together. Hinoka closed her eyes and felt unconsciousness overtake her.


	22. Chapter 22

Camilla strode confidently through the halls of Castle Krakenburg, her tall black heels clicking on the smooth marble floor. She stopped at the entrance to the throne room – the heavy doors foreboding and unapproachable, as usual.

She took a moment to collect herself, taking a deep breath. She clenched her fist, counted to ten. Then, with as much self-assurance as she could muster, she pushed the door open and walked in.

She stared at the carpet as she approached the throne. The long walk up the length of the room always made her so uncomfortable. As she reached the steps to the throne she bowed her head low in deference, still not raising her head to look at her father.

A disdainful growl emanated from the front of the room and she winced.

“Good morning, father,” she said politely.

“Mmm…and what makes it good?” King Garon rumbled. He was in a mood, that’s for sure.

“I thought you’d like to hear of our recent victories at Dia and Macarath, father.”

“You think I did not know of these already?”

“Of course not, father. But such instrumental victories require a more personal report, I believe. We did, after all, encounter some complications, and – “

“Enough!” Garon cut her off. She winced again. “Sometimes,” he continued, “you remind me of your mother.”

Camilla looked up at him.

“She, too, talked entirely too much.”

Camilla clenched her teeth. “I’m sorry, father.”

“Don’t think I don’t hear about your own…personal exploits,” Garon leaned forward on the throne, his dark eyes glaring down at her. “All your whoring around in the south.” He said it as if the word itself was disgracing him just to use it in conversation.

“I’m sorry, father.”

“ _Sorry,_ ” he said back scornfully. “If you were sorry, then it wouldn’t be common knowledge that the Nohrian princess is a harlot. I wouldn’t be surprised if every man and woman in the south garrison was more acquainted with you than they are with their own weapons!” he stood up now, shouting.

“Father, I-“

“Still, all your philandering has given me an idea. If you’re going to do such things, it may as well be in service to your king.”

“Of course, father. What did you have in mind?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that marks the first time I've ever used the Major Character Death tag. Which is fun. Anyway, time to put all this unpleasantness behind me and finally finish up my cute fluffy modern AU Caminoka, which is much less stressful to write. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed(?) it!


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